My Only Love
by Cathy Doll
Summary: *CHAPTER NINE IS UP* YES, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I'VE FINALLY UPDATED! H/G fic with a bit o' R/Hr on the side, rain, realizations, singing, secret meetings, angst, anger, love, what more could you ask for, hehe. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!
1. Musings and Surprises

A/N: Well well well. My first fic. I finally got the courage to post part of this sucker. I hope you like it; I've had fun writing it. Rest assured there is more to come, whether you like it or not, bwahahahaha! Please review and remember where you can stick your flames. *sweet smile*  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own anything (except Boggart Beans and the plot), J.K. Rowling (and though it's been said a million times before, it bears repeating, the woman is a genius) owns it, her and a bazillion other companies. *sad shake of head at the thought of all the ugly dolls being made in these characters' "likeness"*.  
  
  
  
  
  
It had been a rather uneventful day in Harry's estimation. He'd spent the morning transplanting Boggart Beans in Herbology and had fallen asleep in Divination during Trelawney's customary predictions of his death. Now he was in the library, trying to finish up some last minute assignments. As he sat alone in the library, trying his best to concentrate on Snape's abominable Potions homework, he chanced to glance out the window. A grove of trees stood near the window, lining a path that led to the Great Hall. Amongst the shafts of light that fell through the thicket of trees, one chanced to land upon the face of Ginny Weasley. Her companions, a few other fifth years, remained engulfed in the darkness of the trees, making her seem of some divine deliverance. Her hair shone fiery red as her pretty face broke into a smile, laughing at a remark made by one of her friends. She carried her guitar case, as she often did, and her battered book bag. He watched her until she disappeared from view, wondering why her visage held him so entranced. He chalked it up to the fact that he'd rather be doing anything than homework. His mind wandered back to the last two weeks before term, when he'd stayed at the Burrow.  
  
His summer with the Dursleys had been insufferable, as always, and he'd looked forward to his stay with the Weasleys even more than usual. The constant owls to and from his friends and Sirius didn't satiate his constant boredom and longing for the world of magic, the existence of which was constantly squelched by his relatives' ignorance and prejudice. Another birthday had passed without recognition, though this did not extend to his friends who'd sent presents and cakes. Harry was eternally grateful for the latter; his cousin's "diet" was still being enforced, though he grew fatter by the minute. Harry was near complete madness by the time the last weeks of summer arrived. He'd acquired special permission from Dumbledore to travel by way of floo powder, using the fireplace of an abandoned home near Privet Drive since the Dursley's was so obligingly boarded up. Firebolt in hand (the rest of his things had been taken to the Burrow by a special regiment of house elves, which would surely have infuriated Hermione, had she known) he had stepped into the fireplace, steeling himself for the ash that had thwarted him before and shouted "the Burrow". He arrived without incident in the kitchen fire of the Weasley home. It was very early in the morning; a few stars still shone in the dark sky. They had originally planned for him to arrive in the afternoon, but he couldn't bear waiting that long, and intended to sit quietly in the kitchen until the Weasleys came down for breakfast and surprise them. It turned out it was he that was in for a surprise.  
  
When he stepped out of the fire the first thing that caught his attention was a flash of crimson. Back to him, Ginny Weasley was standing on tiptoe reaching for something on a high shelf. "Don't see why we can't use magic outside of school, mum always has to put the cocoa so high up." she muttered sleepily to herself as she continued to toil, her Weasley pride making her refuse to grab a chair for a leg up. Harry smiled to himself, watching Ginny quietly, her long legs taut with her effort. He was unable to take his eyes off her, something that surprised him. She finally grabbed her cocoa with a triumphant "Ha!" to which Harry had to suppress a laugh and turned around, reading the back of the container. She was unaware of Harry's presence, though he couldn't have been more aware of hers. His heartbeat quickened as he took in her long nightshirt whose blazing orange letters read "Chudley Cannons" and was hanging off on one side, revealing one of her smooth, pale shoulders. It seemed Ron wasn't the only one that got hand me downs. Her crimson hair was wild and flowed around her face in artful disarray. Her pretty face was thoughtful and a bit sleepy as she read the back of the cocoa. Why wasn't he saying anything, just standing there and staring at her like an idiot? This was a different Ginny then the one he'd seen last at school. She looked up from her cocoa at last, finally seeming to sense Harry's eyes on her. She gasped, her eyes suddenly alert, all traces of sleep gone. "Harry?" she asked in an anxious whisper. "Hi Ginny." he replied with a grin, keeping his voice low as not to wake the entire household. She seemed to suddenly realize that Harry Potter was in her house, early in the morning and she was standing there with mad hair and wearing one of Ron's old shirts. She sighed inwardly, eternally grateful that she had not been wearing less. Her hands immediately went up to her hair, desperately trying to put it in some semblance of order. Harry had to stop himself from telling her that it looked great the way it was. "Weren't you supposed to get here later?" she asked, giving up on her hair, choosing to fuss with the shirt instead, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates when she realized where one of the shoulders had fallen. "Yeah, sorry, but I couldn't bear another minute with the Dursleys." he said, unable to make his heart return to normal. She smiled at him, "Well, I'm glad you're here." She couldn't believe she'd said that out loud. She quickly added, "Want some cocoa?" with a rather flushed face. Harry had accepted, blushing just as much. They'd talked the morning away, discussing everything from family, to school, to Quidditch. Harry was amazed at how very smart and funny Ginny was. He supposed he'd never had a chance to really find out since she usually ran from him like a frightened rabbit. He quite liked the change.  
  
Over the course of the holiday, he'd seen little more of Ginny than he had the previous summers (back when she liked to perform her little disappearing act when Harry so much as entered a room). She'd taken a Muggle job in the village, intending to exchange the currency for wizard money at the start of the term. Her father was ecstatic and questioned her everyday about the workings of the Muggle world. Though Harry didn't see her often, she was constantly in his thoughts. Ron assumed he'd been brooding about Voldemort and what he might do this coming year, and thought it better not to question him about it. The little time she had off from work, they spent together. Harry discovered she was quite good at flying and they'd often discuss Quidditch tactics in the midst of their aerial pursuits. On her days off he'd often find her down by the stream at the edge of the Weasley property; her guitar and sketchbook her constant companions. Sometimes Harry would walk up and join her, but he often liked to sit some distance off and watch her, letting his presence remain a secret. No matter how he prodded her, she refused to sing in front of him, a constant sore point between them. He knew she sang because he often caught her writing snatches of song and even caught a few words being sung just before a sixth sense immediately alerted her of his presence. She was so angry after one incident that she'd actually pushed Harry into the stream. Unfortunately for her, he'd had the presence of mind to pull her in along with him, to which they both had a good laugh. One afternoon she left her sketchbook behind when she ran to get something from the house. Harry seized the opportunity and flipped through it, feeling slightly guilty. The number of sketches there were of him and how very good they were startled him. One in particular caught his eye. It depicted the two of them on the back of Fawkes the Phoenix after escaping the Chamber of Secrets. It was beautiful. Harry looked pensive as he leaned forward, holding on to Fawkes' feathers and Ginny looked full of sweet relief, her head leaned against Harry's shoulder, her eyes closed. Harry traced his finger over the sketch, reliving the memory. He felt a strange kind of warmth in his chest as he stared at the small figure of Ginny on the page. He quickly put the book aside when he heard Ginny returning, calling him to lunch. The time had gone by in a flash, as it always did, and Harry hadn't seen or thought much about Ginny since they'd gotten off the train at Hogwarts. Not until today anyway. He tore his eyes away from the window and went back to his homework, ignoring the fact that he was perfectly able to do it now that Ginny was out of sight and, for the most part, out of mind.  
  
After some time, Harry rolled up his parchment and rubbed his weary eyes. He glanced out the window again and saw with delight, that Hermione and Ron were coming toward the library. They walked close to one another, each gesturing animatedly, apparently in yet another heated argument. Harry couldn't help but smile at their bickering facades. It seemed everyone but Ron and Hermione knew what was going on beneath all the fighting. "Well you were staring at him Hermione!" Harry heard as Ron and Hermione entered the library. "Ron, he's our teacher, what was I supposed to do, pointedly ignore him?" he heard Hermione answer in an indignant tone. At that point they came into view, both pink in the face, Ron's hands shoved in his pockets. "Well.yeah." Ron answered in a muffled voice, eager to drop the argument since Harry was in earshot. "You're just impossible!" cried an exasperated Hermione. "Hello Harry," she said, picking up her pace "have you finished everything?" She looked at his blotted parchment and the mounds of crumpled paper beside it and tsked, looking very much like Professor McGonagall. Harry stretched as he stood up and replied "As much as I can stand without revisiting today's breakfast." Hermione wrinkled her nose at this. "A simple yes would've sufficed, really." she said disgustedly. Ron, oblivious to any delicacies, replied "Speaking of food, I'm starved. Let's get down to lunch!" Hermione shook her head as if to say "Boys!" and Harry laughed as they walked out of the library together, his books and homework in tow.  
  
As they walked past the lake on their way to the Great Hall, Ron's face broke into its customary grin. "Hey, isn't today the day you're supposed to be sucked down into the depths by the giant squid?" Harry laughed, "Yeah, Trelawney would love that." he replied. Hermione scoffed at the mention of her name. "In her estimation you'd be a zombie Harry, you've died so many times." she answered sarcastically. She opened her mouth to elaborate on the incompetence of Trelawney when a voice called out, "Hi Harry!" The trio stopped and turned; the voice belonged to Cho Chang. Her silky black hair shone in the midday sun as she hurried towards them. "Hi Ron, Hermione." she added, as an afterthought, and the two sensed it. "We'll catch you later Harry." Ron said, with a wink and a slightly painful nudge to Harry's ribs. Hermione rolled her eyes and tugged Ron away before he could make things even more obvious. With a wave to Cho and Harry, and arguing yet again, they walked off, much to Harry's dismay. He always felt tongue tied around Cho, and today was no exception. "Hullochohowyou?" he blurted out. She cocked her head to one side, her lips curving in a bemused smile. "Sorry, I'm not taking any new languages Harry, you'll have to translate." she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. Harry cursed the day blushing was invented. "I said hello." he answered sheepishly, running a hand through his messy hair, wishing, now more than ever, that he had some control over it. "Oh, hello." she answered, laughing a bit. They stood silently for a moment, Harry clueless as to what to say next. He felt nervous as always, but more and more he attributed that fact to what had transpired at the end of fourth year. Cedric's death had left a deep hole in his heart, and Cho's lovely face was a constant reminder of that pain. Guilt overwhelmed him as he stared at his scuffed shoes, avoiding her gaze. "Brilliant conversation we're having, eh?" asked Harry jokingly. Cho laughed. "Indeed it is." She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her sleek hair quickly. "Anyway Harry, what I came to ask you was if you'd meet me later tonight. There's something I need to talk with you about." Her voice had become a shade less merry, nervous even. Harry's brows furrowed in confusion. Cho, pretty, popular Cho wanted to speak with him? It's probably just about homework you great git, he told himself. "Uh, sure, what time?" he asked. "Oh, I don't know, about 9:30 I suppose, in the entryway." she answered, twisting the sleeve of her robe. "Okay, see you then." he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. Cho's smile reached her lovely almond shaped eyes as she waved to Harry, hurrying off in the opposite direction. He stared after her in bewilderment, wondering what she could possibly want.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Liked it? Didn't? Well, there's more, much more. Oh the power I wield! *insane grin* Anyhoo, fill in that pretty little box down there and let me know what you thought of it. Save the flames. If you send them to me, you'll get far more than your share where you'll be going. Heh heh heh. 


	2. Rebuffs and Tidings

A/N: I'm in a pretty foul mood at the moment. A bunch of my friends and I were supposed to go see the HP movie tonight and, of course, everything got screwed up and everyone ended up getting tickets except me and my sis. Ugh. So my friends are all watching the movie right now while I sit here brooding. Oh well. Anyway, enough of that garbage, on to the garbage at hand! Here's chapter two, and thank you to the four (I'm hurt people) readers that bothered to review. I appreciate the compliments and the suggestions. I hope the paragraph break up is better this time around. Anyhoo, I don't own diddly squat except my silly plot. I'd really appreciate it if more people would review; I really want feedback on this. The more reviews, the faster chapter three appears! I wouldn't recommend leaving me flames (especially given the mood I'm in at the moment), but if you choose to do so, you have been warned.  
  
  
  
When Harry finally reached the Great Hall, deep in his own thoughts, the first thing he saw as he scanned the room for a pair of red and bushy brown heads was Ginny. She was sitting by herself, strumming her acoustic guitar while poring over her notebook (a Muggle object she'd kept from her job in the village), occasionally jotting something down. Memories of his summer stay flooded back to him as he watched her. She had the sweetest way of leaning her chin upon the guitar and closing her eyes as she listened to the notes her slender hand played. A warm surge of sweetness filled Harry's heart, while his mind was filled with confusion by the sensation. He was still contemplating this occurrence with his eyes locked on Ginny when an all too familiar voice drawled behind him. "Pretty cute for a weasel isn't she?" Harry turned to face Draco Malfoy, whose pointed nose was in the air as usual. "Now now, don't sell yourself short. You made a pretty cute ferret yourself Malfoy." answered Harry. Malfoy's lip curled a bit and his gaze fell again upon Ginny, who was still concentrating hard on her guitar. Eyes locked on her, Draco continued "Perhaps she's hoping someone will drop a few knuts in her guitar case." he said with a hint of a laugh in his voice. "I suppose her family's so desperate for money she'd do just about anything, wouldn't you say Potter?" Harry recognized the undertone of his comment and reached immediately for his wand, the overwhelming fury he felt surprising him. As if he'd been expecting this, Malfoy's hand was upon his wand in the same instant. "Don't deny that you'd like a piece of that Potter. I've seen the way you look at her." As an afterthought, Malfoy added with a twisted smile "Bet you'd love to be singing that Muggle song, pop goes the weasel." he said licentiously and continued "That is unless of course, someone's gotten to her first. She must not be paid very well for her services if all she could afford was that Muggle instrument."  
  
Harry saw red. He lifted his wand and was about to yell the most horrible curse he could think of when his hand was caught by a stronger one. "I do hope you were practicing for conducting a symphony Potter." came an all too familiar voice. Harry's shoulders heaved as he turned to face Minerva McGonagall. Her severe bun pulled at the corners of her eyes behind her square spectacles, making her expression appear even more threatening than it would normally, if that were possible. Harry didn't say anything. "I'll take that as a yes Potter. As for you Malfoy, five points from Slytherin for provoking him. I shall inform your head of house." Without so much as a glance at Draco's outraged expression which Harry drunk in with delight, she turned on her heel and headed for the staff table. Now more than ever Harry suspected she had eyes in the back of her head. Harry's gaze met Draco's fiercely. "If I ever hear you say another word about Ginny, and I mean anything, I'll take you down Malfoy, and there won't be any teachers around to protect you." said Harry in a menacing tone. Draco glanced from side to side, as if searching for Crabbe and Goyle, but found himself alone. He sniffed disdainfully and growled "Anytime Potter." With that, he turned and walked away, nose in the air.  
  
Harry watched until Malfoy had left the Hall, now flanked by Crabbe and Goyle who made sure to glare menacingly (Harry laughed at the thought of them trying to pronounce the word) before they left. Harry then turned again toward the Gryffindor table, finding his gaze magnetized toward Ginny once more. He had barely begun to feel that warm surge that invaded his heart when he heard a familiar voice call out "Oy! Harry! Over here you great prat!" Harry turned and grinned at Ron, who was standing on his seat and waving his long arms in an absurd fashion. Hermione was looking up at him and shaking her head as if she were a shamed mother. Harry returned the wave briefly and walked toward them. Ron hopped off his chair and sat down next to Hermione, greeting her sour expression with a stuck out tongue. "Oh, that'll convince me of your maturity." she grumbled sarcastically, turning back to her meal. "So, what took you so long Harry?" asked Ron in a suggestive tone, ignoring the way Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nothing much, just talking with Cho." he said nonchalantly as he turned his attention to the food now appearing before him. He was glad that Ron and Hermione had apparently taken no notice of his clash with Malfoy; he didn't feel like discussing it. "A talk with Cho nothing?" asked Ron in an exaggeratedly skeptical manner. "Call Madam Pomfrey quick, Harry must be dying! Calling a talk with the love of his life, the most perfect, the most beautiful.ouch!" he exclaimed, rubbing his side after the blow Hermione had issued it with her elbow.  
  
She glared at him and then gestured slightly with her eyes toward Harry, or so he thought. "Hi everyone." Harry heard a gentle voice say from behind him. He turned and found himself face to face with Ginny. She smiled down at him, her cheeks growing pink. He could feel the heat flooding his own as he grinned back. "I was just wondering if you'd come and listen to me practice for a minute Hermione, if you're not too busy." she said, tearing her gaze away from Harry, who, no matter how he tried, couldn't bring himself to do the same. Harry secretly felt a bit hurt, Ginny wouldn't let him listen to her sing and was now offering to let Hermione do so, and in front of him no less. "And tear myself away from the astounding wit that these two have to offer?" she tossed out sarcastically, eyeing Ron in particular. "Sure. I was just about to head out myself." she said, coolly ignoring the fierce grumbling that came from Ron. She gathered her books and with great care not to look at Ron she waved and strode off with Ginny.  
  
The two girls had just left the Great Hall when Dumbledore stood from his seat at the staff table. "Students, faculty and everyone in between, I just wanted to say a few words. And they are oodle koogle sneegle. Thank you." he said, sitting back down. There was a murmur of confusion and laughter throughout the Hall as Dumbledore began once more to dig into his pudding. "Oh yes," he called out through a mouthful of his dessert, standing up once more, "there was one other thing. A quick reminder about tonight's showing of our talented group of Magical Minstrels and Sorceresses of Song which will take place here in the Hall at 7:00 this evening. Many of your fellow wizards and witches will be displaying their various musical talents for the first time here at Hogwarts, so I suggest highly that you come and lend your support. Thank you." he finished, taking his seat again. As Ron returned to his eating, Harry returned to his thoughts. Ginny and her guitar. "Ron, is your sister doing that music thing tonight?" he asked, trying to mask the excitement in his voice. Ron looked up, chewing a biscuit thoughtfully. "Mrrbbyy." he said. "Sorry didn't catch that." said Harry, his tone amused. Ron swallowed and said "Maybe that's what she was going on about last night. Being scared about being in front of loads of people and singing and all that." With that, he stuffed the last three quarters of his biscuit into his mouth and chewed happily. Harry, however, was pondering the thought of Ginny up on a stage, singing in that gentle voice. He'd finally have his chance to hear her sing! He shook his head. What's with me? he thought bewilderedly. He shrugged his shoulders as if in answer to himself. Must've been something I ate. he thought amusedly as he watched Ron stuff another biscuit in his mouth.  
  
  
  
A/N: So there you are. If you've gotten this far, please go that tiny bit further and review. I would really appreciate it, and I could do with some cheering up after the night's events. ( Chapter three will be up soon (the more reviews, the sooner it appears)! 


	3. Potions and Poems

A/N: Hi hi! I just saw the new George Carlin stand up, so I'm in a great mood. But then I think about the HP movie (which I saw Saturday night) and my spirits plummet. This rant might contain spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie or if you have and liked it, I suggest you skip down to the story. And I'm not insulting anyone who liked the movie or anything; I respect your opinions, but I have a right to mine too, and you don't have to listen to them if you don't want to. First off, you'd think after spending over 125 million bucks on a movie they'd find a decent editor that would at least try to make the choppy thing seem like it made any sense. And I know that there was no way they could have put everything from the book in the movie (though I'm sure there are other HP fans out there, like myself, that would be willing to sit through a six hour HP movie if it was good), but some of the omissions were just plain dumb. And what was with the ending?!?! Why did Voldemort fly through Harry like a damned carrier pigeon?! And cutting out the potions and the knocked out troll? If the damned thing with the Devil's Snare hadn't turned into such a melodrama (in the book they did the fire right from the get go after Hermione told them in passing to relax) they could easily have been fitted in. And the flying keys were blood thirsty, I guess it's just that Chris Columbus touch. All they needed was for some old geezer to come in at the climax and whack Voldie over the head with a shovel (I hate "Home Alone"). Sheesh. And it wasn't the acting; it was very good (and remember, this is only my opinion) for the most part. I really liked Rupert Grint; he was very funny. Dan Radcliffe was good too, though his smile scared me, haha. Anyway, I should shutup, you guys aren't interested I hope you enjoy this chapter and forgive my babbling. And I must thank, from the bottom of my heart, all the wonderful people that reviewed. You guys said so many nice, great, sweet (add more positive adjectives here) things and I REALLY appreciate it. THANK YOU!!!!! As for the rest of you, please review (and not just about my unnecessary ranting or opinions please, I already apologized for that), it's not that much trouble. And now, onto the story!  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry glanced at his watch, which he'd finally gotten to run again, and sighed. They had Potions next, with the Slytherins. "Come on Ron, Snape'll have our heads if we're late." said Harry as he stood and shouldered his book bag. Ron's face screwed up in a look of utmost loathing at their greasy haired professor's name and he made a rude noise, causing bits of biscuit to fly everywhere. Harry laughed and shook his head as Ron grabbed his things. They walked out of the Great Hall together discussing through bits of biscuit every flaw of Snape's hook nosed face. Upon reaching the outdoors they still had plenty of faults to name when they spotted Ginny and Hermione sitting beneath a large willow tree. Ginny was strumming her guitar and singing while Hermione sat and listened as intently as if she were in McGonagall's class. "She must be pretty bad to have Hermione so entranced that she'd run the risk of being late to class." said Ron with a laugh. "Or pretty good." said Harry in what he hoped was a calm voice as a few sweet notes floated his way. A soft breeze was blowing through Ginny's long red hair, making it sweep poetically across her face as she sang, her eyes closed. "Oy, Hermione!" Ron's loud voice interrupted. Harry snapped out of his reverie and moved his eyes away, lest Ginny look up and see him staring at her like a slack jawed buffoon.  
  
Hermione turned their way and gave Ron a look that made even Harry, who hadn't done a thing, wince. Ginny blushed furiously as she caught sight of the two. The two girls stood, brushing themselves off and packing up their things. "You don't think they heard do you?" Harry heard Ginny ask in a nervous tone. "No, you weren't singing very loudly at all." said Hermione with a comforting pat. They hugged each other goodbye after Ginny threw the boys a nervous grin and left in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. "She have Care of Magical Creatures next?" Harry asked Ron, watching her walk out of sight. "Mmmmm?" was the sound that issued from Ron's mouth in response. He was apparently too busy watching Hermione brush back a stray curl from her face as she knelt to gather her many books. "Never mind." said Harry, smothering a laugh. She came forward, the gentle beauty that had been in her face just a few moments ago, now almost completely hidden by the look of utter annoyance and fury now displayed there. "There was no need to come out here yelling like an idiot Ron! Your sister and I were busy; you could've waited until we were finished!" she said in a slightly raised voice, her cheeks pink with anger. "Well how was I supposed to know when you two were done? It wasn't as if you were paying any attention to us. You could've gone on for hours the two of you, sitting under that tree like a couple of squirrels." said Ron, his voice raised even higher than Hermione's.  
  
Harry sighed and began walking toward the castle, knowing the two would follow his cue. And they did, but not without continuing their insipid argument. Harry blocked it out, as much practice had taught him to do, and thought instead of the way the breeze had lifted Ginny's beautiful red hair as she sang beneath the willow tree. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize that they'd reached the dungeon doors until he'd nearly run into them. "And as for looking like a squirrel, you're one to talk! With that long nose and those gangly legs of yours you look like some sort of stork!" he heard Hermione say in a huff. "Finally, the Mudblood's right about something besides school work." came a cold drawl from behind the trio, to which a few Slytherins sniggered in response. Ron had whirled around wand raised before Harry could even react. "Oh how sweet, the weasel's defending his girlfriend." said Draco in a syrupy voice, raising his wand in response. Ron's eyes narrowed malevolently as he raised his wand even higher, and was about to curse Malfoy, when the dungeon door swung open. "The dueling club was closed down long ago Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor." came the nasty voice of Severus Snape. A unanimous groan and sound of outrage came from the Gryffindors. "But that's not fair! Draco had his wand raised too, he called me a Mudblood, Ron was only trying to defend me!" cried Hermione, her eyes wide. The fact that she was talking back to a teacher, and to Snape of all people, seemed to surprise her as much as it did everyone else. "Make that an additional ten for your impertinence Ms. Granger." snapped Snape with relish. Hermione opened her mouth to object when Snape interjected "Do you want to make it twenty Granger?" in an evil tone. One glance at her fellow housemates made Hermione hold her tongue. Snape's glance slid over to Harry, who was staring up at him with all the loathing and disgust he could muster. "What, no words of wisdom from the magnificent Harry Potter?" asked Snape in a mocking tone. Harry knew better than to speak his mind when he was this angry. The disappointment on Snape's face was enough for him. "I'll take that as a no." he said in an angry voice. "Get into class, and an additional five points from Gryffindor for their entire house being late." he said, and with that whirled on his heel, smiling at the groans that came from the outraged Gryffindors.  
  
Adding insult to injury, the grumbling Gryffindors filed into the dungeon as the sniggering Slytherins followed, making them first to enter the classroom, and yet having points deducted from themselves alone. Harry, Hermione and Ron sat at their usual table, brooding silently, save Ron. "Stupid, no good, greasy haired, ugly, rat-faced Death Eater." muttered Ron angrily. "Letting that slimy little git talk that way about my..one." he stumbled, hastily adding "one" and pronouncing it "mione", trying to act as if he were cleverly nicknaming her. One glance at "my-one", however, told that she recognized the nickname for what it truly was. A rush of pink invaded her cheeks and a small smile touched her lips. Under the table, she squeezed Ron's hand. "Thanks." she whispered, looking into his eyes. Ron merely stammered something that could've been a "you're welcome", but one couldn't be too sure. Harry looked away from the two, and turned his gaze instead toward the front of the classroom, which he was loath to do, considering that Snape was standing up there, looking even more pleased with himself than usual, which was a stretch indeed. He was beginning to majick ingredients onto his desk and his cauldron glowed an evil green. "Today we shall be working on.wait, what's this?" Snape said, retrieving with his wand a piece of parchment that had fallen upon the floor.  
  
Harry leaned his head upon one hand, not caring one whit what was upon that parchment unless it declared all students able to curse Snape and Malfoy without punishment. "How delightful, it's a poem!" he said, his eyes scanning the parchment greedily, his voice full of venomous mirth. Harry sighed. He felt sorry for the poor sap that had left that thing lying around in Snape's class. He briefly wondered what it was about. Knowing Snape, he thought with a shake of his head, they'd all find out soon enough. "Potter, this concerns you I dare say." said Snape, a malevolent light in his eyes as he scanned the parchment. Harry raised his head from his hand and felt his heart flood with uneasiness. "I'll save you the time and read it for you. You've got just about everything else done for you, so why not this?" he sneered. The Slytherins began to laugh quietly as the Gryffindors all sat tensely, their eyes on Harry. "It's titled "To the Boy Who Lived". Unfortunately if you ask me." Snape added. Ron cursed quietly as Hermione gripped the table top, her eyes narrowed. Harry, however, was too worried about what was on that parchment to care what Snape thought about the fact that he was living and breathing. Snape cleared his throat and read:  
  
"So near and yet so far"  
  
"..from being a real poet." interjected Draco quickly. Snape awarded him with a flash of yellowed, uneven teeth and continued:  
  
"Can you take me where you are?"  
  
"Which is far away from this poem I hope." said Snape with a roll of his eyes. Sniggering from the Slytherin portion of the room filled the dungeon while only tense silence emanated from the Gryffindors. Harry was staring down at the tabletop, his mind racing. The fifth year Gryffindors had just had this class before lunch, oh no.. Snape mistook this pensive, troubled look for sadness and said with glee "Oh don't worry Potter, there's more much more." With that, he continued:  
  
"I look at you, but you don't see me"  
  
"Which is probably a good thing since only a troglodyte would write a poem this horrendous." smirked Snape. "And to Potter for that matter." added Blaise Zabini with a sneer.  
  
"I dream and dream but it will never be"  
  
"The same way I dream about this load of dung ending." jeered Millicent Bulstrode.  
  
"A lock of hair falls in your eye  
  
Eyes more beautiful than any star in the sky."  
  
"And where else would stars be?" asked Snape with a sneer. "You've obviously got a real brain on your hands Potter." came Draco's sniggering voice and Harry thought he faintly caught the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel". Harry turned to shoot him a threatening look when Snape's voice issued from the front of a classroom. "It gets better." said Snape with delight.  
  
"If I gazed into those eyes, what would I see?  
  
Only a pathetic, love sick me"  
  
"Well, she's got one thing straight. Though she should've added ugly and stupid" sang Pansy Parkinson from her table at the rear of the dungeon, and a chorus of Slytherin laughter followed. Harry thought it pretty rich that Pansy was talking about people being ugly and stupid. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Hermione shot her a deadly look, she too had guessed whom the writer of the poem was.  
  
"How I wish to kiss that scar that brings you pain  
  
And all the sadness it's given you drain."  
  
This was simply too much for the Slytherins. They were in hysterics, falling off their stools and clutching their sides. "Oh, can I kiss it too?" squealed Draco in a mock girly tone. Harry shuddered at the thought, turning his gaze instead to Ron, who appeared to be thinking very hard.  
  
"And as I lay down to rest, I picture my sleeping head upon your chest."  
  
"Removed from your stupid body I hope." said Snape with a smirk. The truth seemed to have dawned on Ron, for the gaze he gave Snape was filled with hate and fury, more than ever before. "I'm afraid it's coming to a close." said Snape, mock sadness in his voice.  
  
"But alas, I dream of what will never be  
  
For I see you, but you never see me."  
  
"How very touching." concluded Snape, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Its signed G.W. Now who could that possibly be?" he said, pretending to think hard, rubbing his chin. Ron's left hand gripped the desk hard, the other reaching for his wand. Hermione gave him a look that seemed to say "don't, he's not worth it", but when Ron was angry, no logic could reach him. "Ooh, there's even a picture of you Potter, you and your kissable scar." said Snape, glee filling his voice. He walked swiftly toward Harry and laid the parchment upon the table in front of him. The poem was written in glittery silver script and in the corner there was an astonishingly well done portrait of him from the neck up. That drawing was as good an indicator as any signature. His gaze skipped down to the initials, G.W., his heart thumping quickly. He looked back up at Snape, his face blank. "And?" he asked, his voice expressing bored annoyance as he desperately suppressed the urge to belt Snape right in his crooked nose. Snape's face fell. Harry's lack of reaction was very disappointing to say the least. A sickening smile lit his face as his eyes landed upon Ron and his clenched fists. Ron's knuckles were paper white from squeezing so hard. "Mr. Weasley, did you know your sister was such a fantastic poet?" he asked sarcastically, goading Ron. Ron looked up at him with narrowed brown eyes, the fingers that clutched his wand twitching dangerously. "No, but I'm not surprised." he answered in an even voice, displaying amazing control.  
  
This was too much for Snape. His lip curled upward, revealing his crooked, yellow teeth. "Twenty points from Gryffindor!" he shouted, walking back to his desk, and luckily, forgetting the parchment, which Harry immediately pocketed. "What the hell for?" asked Seamus Finnegan, his voice full of astonished outrage. "Detention Finnegan and five more points from Gryffindor, and I suggest the rest of you keep your mouths shut if you don't want the same." snapped Snape. The Slytherins, a bit put out by Harry and Ron's lack of reaction, were now smirking in a self satisfied fashion and asking if their speaking out of turn would lose points for Gryffindor as well. Hermione was still staring at Ron with the utmost surprise. "That was simply...amazing." she said in an awed tone. Ron's ears turned pink, "Thanks. I knew I'd be expelled for sure if I cursed him, so I tried to figure out the next best thing to get him good. But I figured kicking him between the legs would get me in just as much trouble." he said with a grin. The three laughed, making sure to keep it quiet, as Snape was already in a horrible mood. The rest of the class passed without much incident, save the usual explosion from Neville's cauldron, and occasional calls of "Can I kiss your scar Harry-poo?" from the Slytherin side of the dungeon.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: There you have it, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you thought of it. Oh yeah, I forgot. I don't own anything except that silly poem and my plot. Chapter four will be up soon (assuming you nice people review, hehe). Bye for now! 


	4. Fairies and Funnies

A/N: Here you go, Chapter 4. Happy Turkey Day! I hope everyone stuffed their faces as much as I did, hehe. Anyhoo, I don't own anything that you recognize, just my plot. Anyhoo, THANKS again to everyone that REVIEWED; I really appreciate it. Please keep reviewing, it makes me happy and gives me the energy to kick my muse in the ass and get me on the ball. Now that we're done with that, please read, review and enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
The three sighed with relief when class ended, gathering their things and exiting quickly. Harry fingered the parchment in the pocket of his robes, a bewildered smile on his face. She'd written this for him? Shy, beautiful Ginny had written it for him, plain old him? He shook his head, the wonder of this fact still amazing him. "I'm gonna get that bastard-" "Ron!" "Oh come off it Hermione, you know he's a bastard." said Ron, his fists still clenched. Hermione could only sigh, a sense of surrender to the facts in her face. "I mean it though," continued Ron "I'm gonna cook up some scheme and fix him good. Nobody makes fun of my sister or my friends and gets away with it." he concluded, carefully classifying Hermione under the "friends" category, hoping his earlier slip up would be forgotten. While he and Harry discussed elaborate methods of getting back at Snape as Hermione gasped with cries of "No, you simply couldn't!" the three made their way to Hagrid's cottage for Care of Magical Creatures. There they found Hagrid in good spirits. This, of course, made them wary. The brighter the smile on Hagrid's face, the more horrible the creature they had to tangle with. "Hey you lot, good ter see yeh!" cried Hagrid with a wave of his trash can lid sized hand as the three came 'round to the paddock behind his cottage (though it was so huge as to house his gigantic frame that calling it a "cottage" was quite laughable). "Hello Hagrid!" the three called, nearly in unison. "Eyes like stars that one has." Harry heard a simpering voice snigger. The three of them ignored Malfoy as they always attempted to do in Hagrid's class. It was one thing to fight in Snape's class, but the three of them respected Hagrid and his class (though more the former than the latter, which is hardly a surprise when a class involves having to attend to such beauties as blast ended screwts).  
  
Today they were observing fairies, much to the relief of the students, though they kept a keen eye out for hidden fangs. Hagrid had had Professor McGonagall transfigure the bush in which the fairies normally resided into a sort of glass box through which they could be observed without being toyed with, but gave them the ability to leave if they wished. They seemed to be having a party of sorts, however, and seemed perfectly content where they were. "These here are yer variety lot o' fairies." Hagrid began, gesturing at the lovely creatures, which gave off a glittering light. They peered back at the students, but seemed to find them a bit dull and went back to their own business. One with reddish hair caught Harry's eyes as it dozed upon a primrose. Now that he thought of it, Ginny kind of reminded him of a fairy. Are you out of your head? he asked himself. Comparing Ginny to a fairy, haven't you anything better to think of? He looked away from the fairy, trying his best to concentrate on what Hagrid was saying. "They like ter sing, these do." Harry let out an exasperated sigh. How was he not supposed to think about Ginny when everything reminded him of her?  
  
The latter part of the lesson dealt with each of the students seeing if a fairy took to him or her. Most of the Gryffindors did well with the fairies. The Slytherins, however, were a different story. To Harry, Ron and Hermione's delight the fairies screamed when Crabbe and Goyle approached them, and simply laughed their heads off when Malfoy did. "Stupid creatures." he said with a sneer, retreating from the box. Tears of laughter streamed down Ron's face when one of the fairies shot what looked like a miniature lightning bolt right at Draco's rump. He gave a cry of pain and when he turned, each of the fairies had taken on an innocent stance. He muttered something about his father to which the fairies responded with even more laughter. Draco's stride wasn't nearly as proud as usual (especially given his singed bottom). One of the prettier females took to Ron immediately, batting her dark eyelashes and singing sweetly. His ears were pink, as were Hermione's cheeks as she strode up quickly and cut off Ron's serenade.  
  
When Harry approached, the red haired fairy woke and looked up at him with keen, green eyes. It smiled and alighted upon his shoulder. He grinned, hoping no one knew what about the fairy was making him blush. Draco, it seemed, did. "Maybe it dreams about sleeping upon your lovely chest Potter." he called, with a nasty grin. Harry narrowed his eyes at Draco and was about to tell him what he was going to do to his lovely chest, when the fairy lighted upon his palm. She gestured for him to raise her to his ear, in which she whispered something about Malfoy that made Harry absolutely explode with laughter. After this subsided, she whispered, even more quietly, something that made Harry's heartbeat quicken. "She loves you. Do you love her?" His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Harry held the delicate fairy with magma hair before his eyes. "I-I, don't know." he finished lamely, his voice a low whisper. She smiled at him and laughed without cruelty. "All will become clear tonight." she whispered. With that, she leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. Harry blushed and grinned at the fairy; she returned his smile and flew back to her place upon her primrose, while Harry contemplated her prophecy. There was something about that fairy; her voice and face were very familiar. It was as if he'd had some sort of dream about those traits, but couldn't quite place them.  
  
The class ended soon after that, and with a wave to Hagrid and a final laugh at Malfoy's lightning struck bottom, the three set off for a quick dinner before the night's performances. "How's my ickle sister's singing anyway?" asked Ron through a mouthful of boiled potatoes. Harry's ears pricked up. "You'll see soon, won't you." answered Hermione in a lofty manner as she helped herself to some steamed vegetables. As if he'd heard this, Dumbledore rose from his place and began to speak. "Any students who wish to watch our performers this evening should remain after dinner, which ends in about ten minutes. A few changes will be issued to the Great Hall and the performances will begin after they are completed. Thank you." The Hall buzzed with excitement, especially at the Slytherin table. They relished in any opportunity to watch their peers embarrass themselves and hopefully help them along in that respect. "I wouldn't miss this bit of dung for the world." the three heard Draco drawl out loudly while eyeing Harry meaningfully. "What's the stupid prat playing at now?" asked Ron as Harry stared back at Malfoy with hate in his eyes. "Who cares." Harry muttered, stabbing his chicken fiercely with his knife. Hermione studied Harry's face thoughtfully. Understanding dawned on her own and she quickly began to speak to keep Ron from fueling the fire. "Malfoy's a big idiot. He's probably just embarrassed that his singing isn't up to snuff."  
  
The two boys immediately turned their gaze on Hermione. "What?" they asked in unison. "Well," she began, scanning the vicinity for nearby teachers "I was in McGonagall's office talking with her about my schedule and I saw the list of performers that tried out for the show. Malfoy's name was marked through, he was amongst the first to audition and the first to be rejected." she explained with a smile upon her face. "And I forgot to add, he also plays the accordion." she revealed, barely able to keep a straight face. Both boys erupted in laughter. Percy had played a magical instrument similar to that of an accordion, so Ron was well versed in this Muggle contraption. He fell off his chair, miming the playing of an accordion as he laughed uncontrollably. "Fancy a polka Malfoy?" he called between gasps of laughter. Malfoy's pointed face turned towards Ron's, and Harry fancied he saw his pale cheeks turn a bit pink. Ron tried to compose himself, clutching his side as he situated himself on his seat. "I can die happy now." he said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "So what was his deal with Ginny playing a Muggle instrument when he plays one as well?" Harry asked himself aloud. Both Hermione and Ron looked at him, eyebrows raised. "What are you talking about Harry?" asked Hermione, as Ron listened intently. Harry, unaware that he had been speaking aloud, started. "Oh, well, I." He was saved from further explanation when a rush of people coming into the Hall erupted into loud conversation. "Guess it's about to start." Harry said quickly, hoping to drop the topic.  
  
  
  
A/N: Oooh, a cliffie, I'm an evil bitch. But we all knew that. Don't worry, I'll post Chapter 5 soon..... IF YOU REVIEW!!!! *mad laughter* Anyway, thanks for reading, now please click that button down there and let me know what you thought! 


	5. Realizations and Rendezvous

A/N: Well, here you go. Sorry it took me a while, my muse decided to take off for a bit. I don't blame her; hanging around in my head is probably pretty scary, hehe. Oh yes, Rose Tangle asked me a few specific questions. Here are the answers:  
  
1. I like to think that she's mellowed a bit, gotten more used to being around Harry because of school, and therefore is less intimidated by him and her feelings for him (not that the nervousness has dissipated completely, not in the slightest, hehe).  
  
2. Malfoy, hmmmm, I don't think he's got any deep feelings for her, but he would like to make her a conquest (especially since she's in love with the famous HP and is the little sister of "the weasel"). Her innocence and the fact that she's oblivious to him and his "charms" also fascinate him.  
  
3. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about their meeting *grin*  
  
Hope that clears everything up and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Anyway, everyone, PLEASE REVIEW, it makes my day! I hope you guys enjoy this, it's a bit longer than usual.  
  
  
  
The teachers each began magicking chairs into rows and erecting a large stage complete with lights and curtains. Elaborate tapestries were hung upon the walls, depicting maidens strumming harps, minstrels playing their lutes and even that of a young boy putting a three headed dog to sleep using a flute. Ron, Hermione, and Harry all exchanged a grin as they thought of Fluffy. Harry noticed a group of very nervous looking students come in behind the stage. He thought he saw of flash of red hair, but there were so many people, he couldn't be sure. Students began sitting in the rows of chairs that had been set up, Hermione, Ron and Harry among them. They were in the third row, in the center. Harry saw Draco taking a seat further down in their same row, his thin arms crossed over his chest as he smirked up at the stage and whispered some snide comment to Crabbe who laughed stupidly. Professor McGonagall, who was in charge of the performers, was bustling around the stage in a frenzy, checking instruments and the positions of lights, calling up impatiently to the fairies that provided them. When she was finally done, she walked off the stage briskly, a clipboard floating behind her, desperately trying to keep up as a quill rapidly scribbled notes. The Hall was filled to capacity. It seemed everyone was curious about seeing their peers perform. Harry glanced up at the bewitched ceiling and saw that the sky had darkened. Beautiful streaks of bright pink and lavender were streaking across it as the sun set.  
  
When the din had settled and the doors had been closed, Dumbledore walked to the center of the stage. "Good evening." he said, his powerful voice reaching every ear. "The performances are about to begin. We have a wonderful set of talent here tonight and Professor McGonagall, myself, and all the other instructors that were lucky enough to be present for auditions, would once again like to thank everyone that came out to audition. We are only sorry we did not have enough time to accommodate them all." Ron let out a snort of laughter, glancing at Malfoy again, who was doing his best to look as composed as ever. "With that, I would like to thank our performers for sharing their talent with us and all of you for coming out to support them. Thank you and enjoy." There was polite applause and excited whispering amongst the students. The lights dimmed and the lights of the stage came up. Parvati and Padma Patil came on the stage, looking lovely in their matching robes of pink. They proceeded to perform a Weird Sisters song as a duet while Eloise Midgen and a very excited Colin Creevey provided the background music. Harry saw the flash of a camera out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Dennis Creevey jumping around and taking pictures of his brother from every possible angle, much to McGonagall's annoyance. Guess it runs in the family, Harry thought with a small smile as he turned back to the performance. Padma appeared to forget some of the words in a few places, but other than that their performance was very good. Harry and Ron applauded extra loudly, still trying to make up for their ill treatment of the girls at the Yule Ball, for which they still hadn't been completely forgiven. The audience was in hysterics at Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan's (who had apparently gotten out of detention according to the sour look on Snape's face) rendition of "How Dry I Am". The three gasped in shock when Neville Longbottom nervously tripped out onto the stage and sang an old love song very sweetly. The audience cheered loudly as Neville grinned and tripped back off the stage. Harry was jolted to see that Cho was up next. She looked very pretty in her flowing robes of violet. Harry let out a small yelp of pain as Ron elbowed him and winked. She was rather good, playing a magical instrument similar to that of a violin by way of magic. It floated in mid air and she made the bow sweep across it by way of her wand. Harry applauded along with the rest, but was surprised at how eager he was for her to get off the stage so he could see Ginny perform. The performances continued in much the same suit, students magicking instruments and singing traditional songs. Each performance was preceded by McGonagall's introduction of the student and what they would be doing.  
  
Near the end of the show, McGonagall's magically projected voice rang out "To conclude this evening's performances, we have Ginny Weasley, performing a song of her own invention upon a Muggle instrument known as a guitar." She pronounced the last word carefully, as if she was still trying to understand it. "She has chosen to use both the instrument and her voice without any magic involved." she continued, her voice revealing both her confusion and admiration for this choice. A single spotlight, provided by fairies, fell upon a stool. Ginny walked out slowly, looking extremely nervous. She looked out into the crowd, apparently searching for a familiar face. Hermione waved and smiled encouragingly. Ginny appeared to see her, and smiled back. From this vantage, Harry could see how truly beautiful Ginny had become. How could he not have noticed? She walked with easy grace, even in the midst of her nervous state. There was much catty whispering amongst the Slytherin girls and a few cat calls and whistles from the Slytherin boys to which Harry felt his blood boil, but there wasn't another sound. The other boys respected Ginny and knew Ron's temper far too well. Already he was grinding his fist into his left hand and looking around for the source of the calls. Harry shot a deadly look at Malfoy, whose hands were cupped around his mouth as he whooped in an entirely undignified manner. Malfoy slid his eyes toward Harry and lowered his hands with a harassed shrug. Ginny, unlike the other students, was wearing Muggle clothing. She wore a billowing peasant top of ivory embroidered with flowers of all shades of the rainbow and dark blue flared jeans with sandals. Her long hair flowed loosely down her back as she sat and positioned her guitar. Her eyes found Harry and she mouthed "Got your wish." and smiled shyly. Harry grinned back, red reaching his cheeks as he felt Ron's eyes on him, surveying him closely. With a final nervous smile she began to strum her guitar, a sweet tune full of melancholy. She closed her eyes and began to sing:  
  
"Deep in my soul a love so strong it takes control  
  
Now we both know the secret's bared, the feelings show  
  
Driven far apart, I make a wish on a shooting star  
  
There will come a day, somewhere far away  
  
In your arms I'll stay my only love  
  
Even though you're gone, love will still live on  
  
The feeling is so strong  
  
My only love, my only love"  
  
She had the sweetest, most beautiful voice Harry had ever heard. How could she have kept it a secret from him? Everyone was enthralled, sitting in awed silence, even Malfoy. She was in the middle of a guitar solo, eyes still closed and Harry felt again that surge of warmth filling his heart. She began again, this time with even more strength and emotion behind her voice:  
  
"There will come a day, somewhere far away  
  
In your arms I'll stay my only love  
  
You reached the deepest part of the secret in my heart  
  
You've known it from the start my only love  
  
There will come a day, somewhere far away  
  
In your arms I'll stay my only love  
  
You reached the deepest part of the secret in my heart  
  
You've known it from the start my only love  
  
My only love"  
  
On the final three words she opened her golden brown eyes and her gaze locked with Harry's. It was then that it him, full force. He loved Ginny. His eyes widened with the realization, even as they stared into hers. With his whole heart he loved this girl. Everything he'd felt since the Chamber of Secrets, since that day he'd saved her from Voldemort hadn't just been the urge to protect his friend's sister or a fellow human being. It was a deep and passionate love, one that he didn't even fully understand himself. Everything he'd been feeling, the nervousness, the preoccupation, the admiration, it all made sense now, was so clear. Something powerful and sweet had been building inside of him for four years and it all burst forward at that moment. On the final strum of her guitar, for which she had closed her eyes again, there was a gigantic surge of applause and cheering. Harry looked quickly at Malfoy who had raised his hands as if to clap, but stopped himself just in time. Harry, Ron and Hermione leapt to their feet, cheering along with the rest. "That's my sister!" Harry heard Ron yell above the din. Harry's heart was beating faster than the speed of everyone's applauding hands combined. "Told you you'd see." yelled Hermione at Ron, a few tears standing out in her eyes. Ginny was standing now, smiling nervously, her cheeks scarlet. She bowed slightly and had begun to walk off the stage when the choruses of "Encore!" began, initiated by the Gryffindors and followed by all but the Slytherins who remained in their seats glowering. A nervous laugh escaped Ginny as she shook her head and continued walking. Dumbledore stopped her and appeared to be asking her something. Her eyes widened as a look of shock overcame her face. He said something else to her and she shrugged slightly and responded. Harry, now squinting to try and read lips as he could not hear above the screams of "Encore!" saw Dumbledore's lips form the words "It's up to you." Ginny bit her lip, and looked downward. Harry felt a sensation in his stomach similar to that of going down a steep hill in a speeding car.  
  
She lifted her eyes to meet Dumbledore's friendly gaze and nodded slowly. He smiled and patted her shoulder. She turned and began to walk back out on the stage, to which the audience responded with even louder applause and cheering, if that was possible. Her eyes searched and found Harry's as people began to sit back down and she smiled sweetly. He returned her smile, hoping his heart wouldn't leap out of his mouth as he did. She sat back down and positioned her guitar again. "Well, I wasn't expecting this." she said sincerely, stammering a bit as the noise dimmed. "So I'm just going to perform something I wrote a long time ago for someone. I'm aware that this and my previous song aren't the first bits of my writing that have been revealed today" she continued with more strength, her eyes finding Malfoy and Snape, "so I'd like to thank the people who read some of my work. It's made this a lot easier for me." Harry delighted as Malfoy and Snape's faces fell, briefly wondering how Ginny found out about the poem being read. A quick look at Hermione told all. "This song was written for the same person that that poem was." she said, meeting Harry's eyes briefly and smiling. Harry felt his heart skip a beat. "Thanks for all the inspiration." With that, the room quieted down as Ginny got ready to sing again. Eyes closed, she began strumming on her guitar again, the tune slow and romantic. Her ethereal voice broke through the silence:  
  
"Soft, heavenly eyes gazed into me  
  
Transcending space and time  
  
And I was rendered still  
  
There were no words for me to find at all  
  
As I stood there beside myself  
  
I could see you and no one else  
  
When I saw you  
  
When I saw you  
  
I could not breathe I fell so deep  
  
When I saw you  
  
When I saw you  
  
Knew I'd never be, I'd never be the same  
  
Only once in a lifetime love rushes in  
  
Changing you with a tide  
  
And dawn's ribbon of light  
  
Bursts through the dark  
  
Wakening you inside  
  
And I thought it was all untrue  
  
Until there all at once I knew  
  
When I saw you  
  
When I saw you  
  
I could not breathe I fell so deep  
  
When I saw you  
  
When I saw you  
  
Knew I'd never be, I'd never be the same"  
  
She went into a short guitar solo and then began to sing with more force and emotion, the beauty of her voice filling the room.  
  
"With no beginning and without an end  
  
You are the one for me  
  
It's evident  
  
And your eyes told me so  
  
Your eyes let me know  
  
When I saw you  
  
When I saw you  
  
I could not breathe I fell so deep  
  
When I saw you  
  
When I saw you  
  
Knew I'd never be, I'd never be the same"  
  
The applause and cheering was, if possible, even louder than it had been previously. A few of the Slytherins, even, jumped up to cheer along with the rest. Hermione now had tears flowing freely down her face, as Ron shook his head in wonder. "What are you crying about?" he asked in a bewildered tone. "She wasn't that bad." "Oh, you're so stupid." she said, smiling even as the tears came down. Ginny looked very vulnerable, overcome by the audience's response, as if she were ready to cry herself. "Thank you very much." she said sincerely as soon as the applause had died down enough to make herself heard. With that, she walked off the stage. Dumbledore emerged before them instead "I believe another round of applause for all of our fine performers is in order." he said, as the crowd whooped and clapped. Dumbledore smiled benevolently. "That concludes our show for this evening, I suggest all of you get back to your houses and get a good night's rest. Good night." Harry hadn't heard a word. He was still standing in shocked amazement, both with the beauty of the song she'd written for him and with the realizations of his love for her. He had to do something. "I'll be back in a bit." he called to Ron and Hermione as he made his way through the crowd of people trying to leave the Great Hall. He, however, was heading toward the stage.  
  
He caught sight of Ginny behind it surrounded by people. They were mainly boys, much to Harry's displeasure. She was still blushing slightly as she talked politely to everyone and thanked them. Harry's eyes narrowed to mere slits when he saw Draco Malfoy saunter up to Ginny, giving her the once over. He placed one hand on the small of her back as he whispered something to her and Harry nearly exploded with anger. She moved out of his grip quickly, shaking her head, but he kept talking to her. Harry was about to walk over and belt him when he began to slink away, still eyeing her licentiously. Malfoy caught Harry's hate filled gaze and smirked, walking out of the Hall with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry tried to calm himself as best he could and steel his courage at the same time, not a fun combination. As soon as the crowd had dissipated a bit, Harry walked up to her, his heart beating quickly. "Er, hello Ginny." he said nervously, his voice cracking. She looked up from where she'd been kneeling and packing her guitar and blushed furiously at the sight of him. "Hello Harry." she answered, her voice sounding much higher than usual, lowering her eyes quickly. Her hands, usually so graceful, fumbled with her guitar case's clasps. The fact that she'd pretty much just admitted her love for Harry in front of the entire school seemed just to have dawned on her. "I can't understand why you refused to sing in front of me before. You sounded great." he blurted out, feeling utterly stupid and just as exposed as she did. "Oh, well, I..thank you." she said, the surprise in her voice and the way she looked up at him, eyes wide, making Harry's heart melt.  
  
This was much harder than he thought it was going to be. He needed to talk to her, but not here, in front of all these people. "Say Ginny, I was wondering, would you meet me in the entryway later? That is unless, you have something else to do." he added hastily, hoping desperately that she didn't. He sighed sadly. Who was he kidding? Every boy in school probably liked Ginny now, and maybe this was too little too late. She'd liked him since her first year and he'd never even taken the time to talk to her before this summer. Doom dawned before Harry's eyes and he prepared for the worst. Shock filled Ginny's eyes. "Sure." she stammered, finally managing to seal her guitar case, standing quickly. "What time?" she asked, trying to sound cool and collected even as she stammered. Harry's eyes widened with surprise and he felt that familiar surge of warmth invade his heart as he sighed inwardly with relief and happiness. "Whenever you're done here." he stuttered quickly, hoping it was soon. He didn't know how long his foolhardy courage was going to hold out. She smiled at him, and took his wrist in her hand, looking astounded at her own daring, and checked his watch. The feel of her soft skin on his made Harry's heart race with excitement. "Well, its 9:10 now, I could get there in about twenty minutes or so." she said, releasing his wrist after a moment and staring into his eyes.  
  
"Okay, see you then." Harry said, remaining where he was, unable to tear his gaze away from her entrancing brown eyes, eyes so deep that that they seemed to have pools of mystery within them. He wished to learn every secret in those seas of violet and green, the flecks that floated within those dazzling brown orbs. "I hoped you liked your song Harry." she said in a whisper as they stood close together, all the vulnerability within her surfacing in her eyes. Harry felt his face go red as he stammered "Very much, thank you." She smiled happily. "I'm glad. I've missed you Harry." she said quietly, her voice slightly hurt. He started to speak quickly. "I've missed you too, I'm sorry we haven't talked much since school started, I've just been so busy." Even the truth sounded lame. She bit her lip, eyes downcast as if she were trying to make an important decision and then stood on tiptoe and kissed Harry's cheek softly. "You can make it up to me." she said softly, her eyes locked with his. Harry gazed at her, enraptured, words failing him. "Well, I'd better get going so I can finish up here. I'll see you in a bit." she said quickly, looking both embarrassed and proud of herself. With a small wave she turned and walked quickly to where McGonagall stood waiting. Harry stayed where he was, his hand straying up to where Ginny had kissed him. Words couldn't describe all of the love and happiness that had filled him at that moment. Nine thirty couldn't come soon enough.  
  
  
  
A/N: Bad me, another cliffie AND I forgot my disclaimers! I DON'T OWN THOSE SONGS!!!! I attributed them to Ginny in the story, but in the real world they don't belong to her either. "My Only Love" (the title of the fic, thought I'd never work it in there, eh?) belongs to those people at Sailor Moon and "When I Saw You" (don't you think it was kinda perfect for Ginny's first sighting of Harry at the train station? *sigh*) is by Mariah Carey (back when she wasn't a bottle blonde rehab frequenter). And no offense to Mariah Carey fans, just my mean streak surfacing; I'm a college freshman that gets very little sleep, cut me some slack! And JKR's characters are hers of course; I just borrowed them to screw around with them a bit. Anyway, this is getting to be longer than the story, so I'll shutup. Chapter 6 will be up soon (after I give my muse a good ass kicking for trying to escape). PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	6. Flights and Forgiveness

A/N: Here it is. Thanks again for all the reviews, please keep reviewing! Hope you enjoy it! Oh yeah, I don't own anything but my plot. (Lyrelle, Arabella, see A/N2 at the end of the chapter)  
  
  
  
By the time Harry finally made his way back to Ron and Hermione, most of the students had made their way back to the castle. He felt a bit light headed and kept checking his watch. Ron surveyed him with confusion and opened his mouth as if to ask him what was going on when Hermione nudged him with her elbow and shook her head. Ron gave her a dirty look, but knew better than to defy Hermione in words at that moment. They walked out onto the lawns and headed toward the castle. The night air was cool and there were faint rumblings in the sky. "Ruddy storm." cursed Ron, looking up as a flash of lightning illuminated the sky. Harry, however, took no notice of the imminent storm. His hand kept finding its way back to his cheek, the warmth of Ginny's lips still lingering there. The wind grew stronger as the three finally made it to the castle's doors, light pouring out from the entryway, a sort of beacon in the darkness. As Ron and Hermione began to make their way up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, Harry sat upon a chair to the right of a suit of armor, tapping his feet nervously and glancing from his watch to the doorway. "Harry, what are you on about? Our dorm's this way, in case you've forgotten." Ron yelled when he was nearly at the top of the stairs and had noticed Harry's disappearance. Harry raised his head, trying to think of way to answer (Well Ron, you see, I want a chance to be alone with your little sister, who just kissed my cheek, in this dim place with no one around. Nah, probably not.) when he saw Hermione, who seemed to understand, push Ron further up the stairs. "See you later Harry." she called out with a wink. Harry grinned and waved, checking his watch as he did. 9:18.  
  
As Harry sat he thought about what he was going to say. Well, um, I realized all of a sudden that I've been a dunderhead this entire time and that I fancy you. "Very eloquent." he muttered to himself. He suddenly wished time would slow down, when only a few moments ago he was praying for it to speed up. What was he going to say? A fleeting image of Ginny passed through his head, the way she looked as she stared into his eyes, her beautiful red hair flowing down her back. Red hair, like my mum's. He sat up with the realization. He turned to gaze at his reflection in the suit of armor he sat next to. He was beginning to look more and more like his father, right down to the untidy black hair. And Ginny had grown, and her hair had become longer. Switch their eye color and he and Ginny were almost exact replicas of his parents. He sat there in awe of the realization and thought back to a time he and Ginny had happened to be entering the common room at the same time. The Fat Lady had gasped at the sight of them and said, "It just can't be." and Ginny had asked her what was wrong. Upon hearing her voice, the Fat Lady put a hand to her chest and breathed deeply. "I'm sorry my dears, I just thought, well, that I'd seen ghosts." Harry had chalked it up to too much wine on her and Vi's parts and put the matter out of his mind. Besides, there were plenty of ghosts flitting about Hogwarts. So why would she be surprised? He only now understood.  
  
Still staring into the armor, but not seeing himself, Harry sat thinking for a long while. It was then that he saw the distorted figure of someone coming up behind him. Harry's heart raced, he still hadn't thought of what he was going to say. "Hello Harry." came a soft voice. Harry's heart skipped a beat as he turned and gasped in surprise. "Cho!" he cried, a bit too loudly, for she started. He'd forgotten all about their meeting. "Damn." he muttered, below Cho's earshot as he glanced at his watch. 9:28. He had to get rid of her, and fast. There's nothing to be worried about, we'll talk homework and then she'll go. A sudden, more powerful thought dawned on Harry. She's not in my year, we're not doing the same homework. Cho was looking at him, her hands twisting nervously. This was the first time Harry had ever seen her discomposed, it was rather surreal, now it was he that was perfectly calm as she stood there stammering. Harry looked at her searchingly; what could she possibly want? "Um, I don't know quite what to say." she stammered. "Well," she began, her voice a bit more steady "I know you've fancied me for a long time now and well." she trailed off. Harry kept looking at her dumbly, not understanding, only feeling extremely embarrassed that she'd known about him liking her. Cho squeezed her eyes shut, as if fighting an internal battle with herself. "Oh the hell with it!" she cried and threw her arms around Harry's shoulders and kissed him. Harry's eyes flew open in shock even as the force of her kiss pressed his glasses into his face rather painfully. This was what he'd wanted for five years, all he'd ever dreamed of.  
  
But not like this, with Cho clinging to him as if she were drowning, and not her. Not anymore. Harry was about to pull away when he heard a gasp from behind him. He pulled out of Cho's embrace and turned, expecting an angry professor or something of the like, but saw instead a flash of red escaping the entryway doors. "Oh bollux!" he cried, burying his face in his hands. He was about to run after her, when he remembered Cho. He turned to her and saw that her eyes were a bit wet. Damn damn damn. "Cho," be began, searching for the right words "you're right, I did fancy you for a long time. I think you're very pretty and smart and a fantastic Quidditch player, but." "But you love Ginny." she interrupted with a sad smile. Harry looked at her, shocked. "I'm sorry." he said simply. "Don't be. You can't help who you love." she said sweetly, one tear escaping. Harry was pretty certain it was not of him that she was thinking. He gave her a hug as silent tears trailed down her porcelain cheeks. "I miss him." she whispered. Harry's shoulders heaved as he hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry." he said again, desperately fighting back tears himself. All of the guilt he'd felt since Cedric's death, the sadness, the horror, everything came flooding back. "It wasn't your fault." she said in a whisper, her voice regaining some of its calmness as she stroked Harry's hair. The sense of gratitude Harry felt was indescribable. Hearing it from her mouth made it seem more truthful somehow, though nothing could ever relieve him of his guilt entirely. "You forgive me then?" he asked shocked. She smiled at him, the smile that used to make his heart race. "There's nothing to forgive." she said softly. She pulled out of Harry's embrace and smoothed his hair back; as best she could anyway. "Go get her Harry. She loves you too. How could she help herself?" she said smiling, wiping the stray tears away. Harry kissed her cheek. "Thank you." he said gratefully, and turned to run outside.  
  
  
  
A/N: Did you like it? For those of you ready to rally up the villagers and come after me for leaving you hanging like that, don't worry. I'll get Chapter 7 up as soon as I get some reviews on this last chapter.  
  
A/N 2: A couple of people have mentioned the part with the Fat Lady. Almost the exact same thing happens in Arabella's story "Getting the Point" (very good by the way, make sure to read "Not As a Last Resort" first); I'd forgotten about the coincidence (and for those of you scoffing, that's really all it was. I despise people who steal other people's ideas and take credit for them. I love to write and know how upset I would be if someone stole an idea of mine and took credit for it) until Lyrelle brought it up. I'd begun writing this story (and completed it) long before I ever read that fanfic, so I haven't stolen anything from anyone (I've always been into the whole Harry/Ginny, James/Lily parallel), nor did anyone steal anything from me. And for those of you who still might question my honesty, let's break it down to plain common sense. I reviewed "Getting the Point". Would I review a story that I was planning to steal from? I'm not a complete and utter moron so I'd say the answer is no. And if THAT'S not enough to convince you of my honesty, in a recent review of Arabella's "Not As a Last Resort" I asked HER to READ this fic. Now come on, why in the hell would I ask someone from whom I'd stolen to read the story in which that "stolen" item is advertised? It doesn't make any sense, which is exactly why I wouldn't have done it had I REALLY stolen the idea. Hope that clears everything up and many bows to Arabella and Lyrelle ("Parchment" *sob* enough said) for their fine fan fiction (alliteration is fun). No unwarranted (or warranted for that matter) death threats please. And if you must, be wary of my wrath. Man oh man, parentheses are the devil. And please, let's not turn this into a debate over my honesty; just review the story, and not my character, please. Sorry for turning this into a novel length argument and getting so defensive (I know no one really accused me or anything, but I just wanted to get things straight before anyone made the mistake of doing so), but I do NOT fancy the idea of getting a reputation as a thief when that's the last thing in the world I am. I hope you guys have a little faith.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!! 


	7. Rain and Shine

A/N: There were a few more questions or comments made that I'd like to address:  
  
Emi: I feel like a moron, but what is MAA? *sheepish grin*  
  
Latrisha: LOL. No, I don't want to be responsible for the death of a little German girl, so here you go. I'm glad you liked it so much, thank you!  
  
MoodyIrishBabe: Some of it...  
  
Mitch: Hehehe, I'm glad I got you on the edge of your seat; here's the chapter like I promised. I feel the same way about H/G (CoS started it all).  
  
LilPrincess *insert assorted numbers here*: Thank you! And for the answer about the Fat Lady, see A/N2 of the sixth chapter.  
  
RoseTangle: Thank you for the vote of confidence; it is sincerely appreciated. And about the Cho thing, I mentioned in Chapter 2 how Harry attributes his nervousness around Cho to Cedric's death, rather than amorousness. I know I didn't go into a whole serenade about it, but I figured that's the way things would go about his losing feelings for her, at least in my mind. And I hope you like Ginny's character; it's showcased in this chapter. *grin*  
  
DragonFire: Killed her, eh? Cool. Ginny is crushed, but we'll see what happens with their chances...  
  
And to everyone else (and I'm sorry about not addressing each of you separately, but I'm very sleepy) that reviewed this chapter and the previous ones, thank you! You've all said so many nice things and I TRULY appreciate all of it. And all of you repeat reviewers, I LOVE YOU!!! You guys are doubly cool. Thanks everyone!  
  
Here you are my pretties. I don't own anything. Enjoy and review!  
  
  
  
The rain had begun to beat down in merciless, icy torrents as Harry skidded across the wet lawns, searching desperately for a sign of Ginny in the darkness. His black cloak whipped behind him as he desperately called upon all of the skills of keen eyesight he had acquired as a seeker. This was the most important game of his life. A flash of lightning illuminated her rain soaked form, running toward the lake. "Ginny!" he called as the thunder rolled and lightning streaked across the sky. "Go away!" she yelled, her voice nearly muffled by the next boom of thunder. Harry sped up, running as fast as he could. He'd forgotten how quick she was. "Let me explain!" he cried, as he caught up to her. "Explain?" she asked, her voice oddly strained. She whirled around to face him. He felt a stab of pain course through his heart when a flash of lightning illuminated her face. Intermingled with the drops of rain were tears. "You don't need to explain anything. It's all very simple, though you probably think I'm so stupid that you need to explain." she choked out. Harry didn't get out so much as a headshake before she yelled with vehemence. "Well I'm not stupid! I understand your sick little game perfectly well. You thought you'd have a bit of fun with Ron's ickle baby sister, see just how badly you could hurt me. You invite me to meet you, knowing how much I like you, knowing I'd agree. You even spent the last two weeks of summer breaking down my defenses. I've got to hand it to you," she said with a bitter laugh as the tears streaked her pretty face "you really did your homework. And then comes the best part of all, where you time that kiss perfectly, where you make sure I see everything." Harry stood dumbfounded, trying to find his voice. The pain and anger in Ginny's voice overpowered him. "The only thing that needs explaining is how you could be so cruel. What have I ever done to you? Or maybe my songs and that poem embarrassed you, is that it? Do you think it wasn't embarrassing for me? Do you think I wasn't scared to go up there and tell the world what I felt for you? To tell you?" she asked, her voice showing hints of its usual sweet vulnerability. Harry's heart pained. Even if he'd been given the opportunity to speak, he wouldn't have been able to.  
  
The bitterness returned to her quickly. "Well you could've said something. Anything would've been better than what you just did. And everything that I thought we'd shared this summer, all that was a lie too." "Ginny.." Harry said desperately, regaining his voice. Her eyes flashed angrily. "No! Let me talk damn you! I've sat back and said nothing all this time, now it's your turn to listen. For five long years I've loved you, watched you, and waited for you to see me. But never. All you ever saw was Cho. What do you think it was like for me, watching you moon over her for all this time, while I stood in the shadows just waiting for you to look at me, even once?" Harry felt absolutely sick. Why had he never known all the pain she was in? She took his silence as a cue to go on. "And now you've got her. Congrats. Forgive me if I don't jump for joy." she said in a caustic tone, etched with bitter bile. She looked up at his shocked face, scanning it with brown eyes, once so warm, now cold as ice. "I suppose you're loving this, aren't you? Watching Ron's ickle sister cry like a baby. Why don't you just tear out my heart and stomp on it? That's about all you've got left to do!" she cried, the tears flowing faster than the rain. Her true voice emerged once more. "I'm the one that loved you for who you were and not what you've been made out to be. Not because you're the famous Harry Potter that defeated Voldemort, but because you're the Harry that smiled at me at the train station that first time. Because you're the Harry that daydreams like I do, that falls asleep in the common room with his glasses on, that smiles so sweetly while he dreams. But none of it means anything anymore." she said, her voice full of pain and regret. "You're just like Malfoy makes you out to be. All you care about is being famous. I told him he was wrong, that there was more to you than that, but now I know I was wrong."  
  
A pain and rage unlike Harry had ever felt before surged through him. "That's enough!" he yelled with a fierce fury born aloft by sorrow. Ginny looked up at him angrily through her tears and opened her mouth as if to retort. "Let me say something." he said quickly as to stop the rush of vile words that would surely come streaming from her lips. He wasn't sure he could bear anymore of that. The change in her, and the knowledge that he had caused it, was heartbreaking. She crossed her arms defiantly and looked at the ground. Harry closed his eyes, wondering just what he could say to make everything right. He settled for what was in his heart. "You're wrong about me, in every way. I was waiting for you in the entryway, but then Cho came in and she kissed me. That's all there was to it. I didn't plan anything." Ginny scoffed and turned her back to him, but Harry continued, oblivious to her disbelief. This needed to be said. "I would never do anything to purposely hurt you. Ever since the Chamber of Secrets I've known there was something between us and everything we shared this summer only served to strengthen that belief, but I told myself that I just wanted to protect you, to be your friend. That's true too, but there's more to it than that. I realized tonight how very much you mean to me. I love you Ginny." he said sincerely. She stood silently her back still turned to him. He went on, unable to stop himself. "I love everything about you. The way you close your eyes when you play your guitar, the way your hair is a million different colors in the sunlight, the way you're so honest and funny and sweet and smart. I love the way you can make me forget everything that's bad in the world simply by smiling at me."  
  
Harry could feel himself reddening at these revelations, and was surprised by his own honesty. He continued, the anger building. "And if you're going to take that slimy git Malfoy's word over mine, then fine. That's your decision and I'd never tell you what to do. But even if you think everything I'm saying is a lie, I have to keep talking to you. You mean too much to me not to. Everything about you exudes this light and puts me at peace. And it seems I've dimmed that light and I'm horribly sorry for that injustice to the world. That was never my intention. I know I should've paid more attention to you and I'm sorry that you've been in so much pain; I never knew. And it doesn't justify that pain to say that I've only just realized what you truly mean to me, but it's the truth. If I knew what to say to make things right, I would. But I don't." he said, his voice full of hopelessness. Her back remained to him as she stood still as stone. A horrible aching was building in his chest as he began to speak again, not even realizing that he was speaking aloud. "Maybe it's better this way. At least Voldemort won't come after you again now that you hate me." That was his one comfort, and a sorry one at that. Tears leaked silently down from his emerald eyes, eyes that seemed to have lost their sheen. His head hung as his glasses fell without heed to the ground, his eyes closed.  
  
Because of this, he didn't see Ginny turn toward him, looking at him searchingly. She felt her anger ebbing away and cursed herself silently for it. What if it was all lies? But what if it wasn't? she asked herself silently. She bit her lip again, eyes closed, as she tried to make sense of it all. What should she believe? The words of Draco Malfoy, son of a Death Eater, or those of Harry Potter, the boy she'd loved for five years? All of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him in the first place flooded back to her. Because he was good, smart, honest, kind, everything she'd ever dreamed of. She let another few tears fall, realizing her mistake. What had she done to him, to her first and only love? How could she have ever thought those things could be true of him, one so honest and good? He stood there as the rain poured down mercilessly, head hanging in defeat. Pain surged through her and she fought back more tears as she wiped her face free of the old ones, the rain still falling. Happiness, like a dim light, suddenly dawned before her. He loves me. She felt the smallest of smiles reach her face. The old warmth and light filled her eyes. She only hoped she wasn't too late. She pushed her wet hair back from her face and put her shaking hand beneath Harry's chin, lifting his face to hers. Harry jolted at the feel of her hand beneath his chin and waited for her other hand to come zooming toward his face in a stinging slap, but it never came. "I could never hate you. I could never do less than love you with all my heart, like I always have. Let Voldemort do his worst. I'd rather be dead with the memory of loving you than alive with the misery of being without you." she said, her face suddenly serious, her voice strong. "You saved my life Harry, but without you, I'd be as good as dead inside." she said softly, her eyes locked with Harry's.  
  
Joy filled Harry as he stared into those deep brown eyes, eyes that danced once more. "I'll always be with you, no matter what happens." he whispered. Their eyes locked and Harry caught the hand she had placed under his chin in his own. "I love you." he said, locking forever in his memory the happiness on her beautiful, rain-wet face. "I love you too." she whispered back, tears in her eyes again, but this time caused by happiness. Harry smiled and felt all awkwardness slip away. This was Ginny, his Ginny, and that was all that mattered Still holding her hand, eyes locked, he leaned in to kiss her, both closing their eyes in the same instant. Their lips met and Harry felt all of the warmth and love that had been missing in Cho's kiss. This was what was meant to be, whom he was destined for. He wrapped his arms and cloak about Ginny's shivering form as her arms strayed up around his neck, neither heeding the rain that continued to fall steadily about them.  
  
  
  
A/N: Did you like it? Despite what you may think, there is another chapter coming, so bear with me. I think you'll be glad you did. *grin* Now please oh please oh please review! All you have to do is click that little box, write a review, and you'll make a stressed out eighteen-year-old's life just a bit happier! Chapter 8 coming soon.  
  
REVIEW!!!!!!!! 


	8. Moon and Sun

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out, but I've been out Christmas shopping *gags* and finals are coming up *sobs*. But anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter (there's still more to come, I'm so excited about the prospects) and please let me know if you did (or didn't). Reviews are great, please take a minute and send one my way! Speaking of reviews, I wanted to answer a few:  
  
Mitch: Thanks so much! And thank you for reviewing again!  
  
Chicken Peep: Congrats, you're in my author's notes, hehe. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Dragon_Angel: Thanks for the suggestions and compliments. I think going into different characters' perspectives is interesting too; it's just hard to do it from everyone's. I felt I was going out on a limb even going into Ginny's briefly since the story is from Harry's point of view. And I think we can all imagine what was going through Malfoy's head about Ginny, haha.  
  
Rose Tangle: Yeah, I know it was a bit too mushy in a few respects, but I felt it was something that was building up in him and he let it all out at once. The same goes for Ginny. She's invested in Harry so much emotionally and when she hears something bad about him that she can use to write him off and out of her heart, then she uses it. And she must have so much frustration building in her, something like that could set her off easily, in my opinion anyway. But I'm glad you liked it, and thank you for reviewing again. You write interesting things every time and I appreciate it very much!  
  
DragonFire: Thank you for reviewing again! I hope you continue to be satisfied with the way this story turns out. Let me know!  
  
Trueblades: You've got yourself a deal, hehe.  
  
Lyrelle: That's the way I felt (in terms of extremes in love), and I'm glad you see where I'm coming from. Yeah, Harry was a bit mushy, but I felt it necessary (at least to vent some of my frustrations in waiting for the fifth book and the day when Harry and Ginny MUST come together, lol) in the context of the fic. You're welcome, I loved your fic. Thanks for reviewing again!  
  
Sheena: I hope you're happy that the series is continuing, at least for a bit anyway. *grin*  
  
Lady Yuy: THANK YOU! That was such a sweet thing to say, though I'd never assume to be as good as Rowling, but it was sweet nonetheless. And I'm so flattered that my fic inspired you to write an H/G of your own. I'll be on the lookout for it!  
  
em1701e: Yeah, sorry about that, I'm trying to get better about that. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Latrisha: Thanks! I hope your friends read and enjoy it half as much as you seemed to, hehe. Thanks for reviewing again!  
  
Stro: Awwww, I hope you do. I hope the same damned thing for myself, but guys are hopeless, lol. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Anie: You'll see soon! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
And to everyone else (and the rest of you ready to kill me for writing such a damned long A/N) THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!!! You guys rock! I'm sorry for not including all of you, but I've got finals to study for and presents to wrap. I'll do my best to include EVERYONE that reviews next time around. And without further ado, the fic!  
  
  
  
Harry awoke late in the night, suddenly aware of how cold it was in his room. He tugged on the covers in hopes of abating the chilly draft invading the dormitory, but they seemed to be caught on something. Another heave of effort won his blanket (which seemed a bit coarse) from whatever it had been caught beneath. He stretched out his arm in an attempt to find a more comfortable position (his mattress seemed rather hard this evening) and felt something wet and springy beneath his fingers. While contemplating the strangeness of this he heard a somewhat high pitched cry of distress to which he replied sleepily "Quiet Neville, we'll find Trevor in the morning." He felt something beside him move and heard a familiar voice, but not the one he'd been expecting, answer sarcastically "Oh, Neville am I?" Harry sat up with a start. What was Ginny doing in his room? In his bed! He rubbed his eyes furiously and opened them. Instead of the familiar scarlet curtains of his four poster bed, he saw the night sky littered with stars. Pacing beneath it was a somewhat blurry (where were his glasses) Ginny Weasley, her moonlit form illuminated with a silver sheen. The previous night's (or tonight's as it were) events suddenly flooded back to Harry. They'd talked (and kissed) for hours, neither acknowledging the late hour or the rain, which had steadily faded away, and both had been far from sleepy. Or so they'd thought. "Did we fall asleep?" he asked, his voice denoting both his grogginess and slight panic (truth be told, he felt there were far worse things than being outside on a moonlit night with the girl you love) as he fumbled around for his glasses. He knew full well the answer to this question, but asked anyway, hoping for some other explanation for their being outside in the middle of the night, open to the horrible possibility of being found by a teacher. The true explanation made him feel far too stupid.  
  
Ginny stopped mid-pace and cocked an eyebrow, allowing herself a small smile in the midst of her boundless worry. She, unlike Harry, was busy worrying about how they were going to get back to their dorms undetected. "No Harry, I've just gone to elaborate lengths to make the inside of your dormitory look like the grounds of Hogwarts. Surprised?" she asked dryly as she sank down on the ground beside him, brushing leaves from her rumpled hair. Harry couldn't help but laugh, despite the desperateness of the situation. "Oh shut up you." he said, pouncing on top of her and tickling her stomach. She began to laugh uncontrollably while desperately trying to keep quiet (never an easy task) for fear of rousing a teacher. "Harry, stop!" she whispered furiously between gasps of laughter. He had her pinned upon the grass, tickling her stomach furiously. "Well all right." he said, the tickling abating as he pretended to mull it over. Ginny's hands clutched her stomach as she caught her breath, her laughter subsiding into grateful giggles of relief. Harry stared down into her face, still overwhelmed by the innocent beauty reflected there. Her fiery hair was spread in all directions upon the green grass and contrasted beautifully with her pale skin cast in silver by the moonlight, giving her an ethereal quality. Harry smiled softly as he was reminded of the magma haired fairy. Her prophecy had come true.  
  
Ginny stared up at Harry, so full of happiness she felt she might burst. His ebony hair fell into his emerald eyes, eyes filled with a love she had dreamed of for five years, but never imagined would actually be mirrored when staring into hers. His young, handsome face loomed above her in the silvery darkness and she blushed as she recalled a similar dream she'd had, and nearly giggled aloud when she briefly recounted what had happened next. Her small hand reached up to brush the hair from his eyes as a soft smile of contentedness touched her lips. Harry felt his breath taken away and caught the hand upon his face in his own and whispered "I think I've found a better way to keep you quiet." He leaned down and softly kissed her, breathing in the sweet smell of her skin, slightly damp from the early morning dew or the previous night's rain, he couldn't be sure. A sigh of pleasure escaped Ginny as she responded to his kisses. Her arms entwined around him, her fingers lightly tracing his spine, making a shot of electricity flow through him. His hands moved through her russet hair, marveling at how soft it was. Their kisses grew more passionate as his hands moved down to her waist, his forefinger lightly tracing the soft skin around her navel. She still wore her Muggle clothing from the night before and it was far more tantalizing than the bulky robes she was usually forced to wear. Ginny's hands moved up into Harry's hair as their kisses grew increasingly more fervent. These were not the kisses of the night before. Those had been the fumbling, sweet kisses of two inexperienced and enamoured teenagers. These were the kisses of two passionate and fervid people, two people desperately in love. There was a fire between them, one that burned with a sweet and ardent fury, but every fire must be put out before it burns out of control. Ginny knew this and it was with great regret that she put the theory into practice, at least for the time being. "Harry." she said softly as his kisses moved down to her smooth neck. He looked up at her reluctantly, loath to stop kissing her sweet skin. "We'd better think of how we're going to get back inside." she said, her breath quick as she sat up and softly pushed him away.  
  
Harry sighed and moved a finger along her jaw line. She was right, of course. Besides, he didn't want to move too quickly with Ginny; he loved and respected her far too well for that. "Brilliant and beautiful, you're going to be the death of me." he said with a smile. Ginny's mouth fell open stunned and she looked down quickly, trying her best to ward off the tears that threatened her eyes. "Please don't say things like that." she said softly, a hint of pain in her voice. Harry immediately realized the context in which she'd taken his comment and took her into his arms. "Oh Ginny, I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot. That's not what I meant." he said, stroking her hair. She looked up and into his eyes, the silver moon reflected there, causing a beautiful sea of silver and green. Slytherin might not be so bad after all, she thought fleetingly. "I know, I'm sorry," she said with a sigh, "I'm always a bit melodramatic when I find myself out on the lawn of the school after having fallen asleep in the arms of the love of my life, who is not an idiot by the way." She grinned at Harry and kissed him quickly. "Now what are we going to do?" she asked, almost as if to herself. Harry couldn't help but smile at the way her nose crinkled as she thought intensely, her hair lifting with the breeze. She looked like some sort of wood nymph, sitting there in the early morning darkness, which was steadily turning to light. "Well, its Saturday," she said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, "so we don't have class to worry about and people will be waking up late." She stood up and stretched quickly before beginning to pace once more, tapping her wand against the palm of her hand. "But we're going to be caught if we just sit out here. There's got to be something." Harry stood up, shaking the leaves (and his glasses, which he quickly retrieved) off the cloak they'd been using as a blanket before wrapping it around Ginny's shoulders. An idea struck him. "I know what to do." he said quickly, searching his pockets and finding his wand. "Accio Invisibility Cloak!" he said softly after placing a silencing charm on the window to his dorm. Soon the liquidy silver of his cloak was visible in the moonlight, which was giving way to the sun. Ginny grinned at him as he caught the cloak and pocketed his wand. "Brilliant and beautiful," she said with a hint of a laugh, "you're going to be the death of me." Harry then threatened her with tickling again, to which she quickly apologized with a laugh as they threw the cloak about themselves and walked towards the castle.  
  
  
  
A/N2: Hope you enjoyed it. I will get Chapter 9 up as soon as is humanly possible without costing me the last bit of my sanity (and I'm hanging on by a thread people, lol). Please review and let me know what you thought. And by the way, to anyone who might be wondering, Harry and Ginny DID NOT sleep together! There was some innocent kissing and they fell asleep in each other's arms. I'm so sappy sometimes. *grin* Have a Merry Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa (and New Year if it takes me that long) etc. everyone!  
  
A/N3: Hope you enjoyed my little detour before posting Chapter 9. I just wanted to clarify and tweak a few things. Hope the minor changes didn't bug anyone. I'm happier anyway. *shrug* Chapter 9 will appear soon (and sooner if I get more reviews)! Let me know what you thought, if anything, about my little additions to this chapter!  
  
REVIEW!!!!! 


	9. The Good, the Bad, and the Bunnies

A/N: First of all, I am SO sorry that this took me SO long to post. I woke up this morning at 7 (which is an EXTREMELY ungodly hour for me) because I was full of ideas and just sat here in a daze (I got three hours of sleep) and wrote this in two hours. The thing is that I'd written the story up through Chapter 7, but then decided to expand on it. That's what takes me so long, that and class and the craziness of my household. I promise that Chapter 10 won't take anywhere near as long to get up here (though it'll have to be sometime after this Saturday, that's my birthday *happy grin*). So forgive me guys, those of you that still bother to check back on this story. Here are the answers to every review that I promised (for those of you that don't give a rat's ass, feel free to scroll down to the story, enjoy and please review):  
  
Andrea: Hehe, I agree. I'm glad you liked it and I did continue it, though not quickly.  
  
DragonFire: For me or Ginny and Harry, haha. I could use that combination though. Again, thank you for coming back once more. Don't breathe on me!  
  
Mary: Thank you. I'm sorry if there's not enough in the chapters for you, that's refreshing; I always think there's too much. Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the delay!  
  
Mikel: Thank you!  
  
Rose Tangle: I hope it's "gotten to you" in a good way, lol. Thank you once again for your insightful remarks. I really appreciate that you take the time to leave them. And yes, it would be GREAT to have nights like that once in a while. But that's what fan fiction is for, haha. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you keep on doing so.  
  
Angel: I'm glad you like Mariah Carey, lol.  
  
Chelsea: Thank you and here you go.  
  
Sheena: Thank you, that's sweet. I'm glad the mushiness wasn't too overpowering. Thank you for being a repeat reviewer.  
  
Yukito Forever: I'm glad it made you feel that way, thanks for reviewing!  
  
Latrisha: LOL. Thank you! That's very, very sweet of you. I'm glad you're enjoying this so much and that you'll forgive me for not updating sooner. Hope you review again!  
  
ShadowStar: Kick ass pen name, by the way. Thank you so very much, I'm very flattered. LOL, Neville's toad's bitch, eh? *Lucy ponders* I'm sure they (the Weasley bros) will too. And about Ron and Hermione…..I'll save that for another story. *wicked grin*  
  
Tiffany: Awww, thank you. I'm sorry I took so long! Hope you like it!  
  
Scarlett Fire: LOL, that's so bad ass. I agree totally, Harry is our drool boy and always will be! And thank you very much, that's so sweet. It's always cool to be an inspiration. I'll look for your stories! Which song were you referring to by the way?  
  
Hermione Granger-Weasley: Haha, sorry that my bit of R/Hr isn't serving your needs. I'm going to write a story about them soon, so you'll get your R/Hr, more than you can stand, mwahahaha! Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.  
  
HP Freak 845 (alias Chicken Peep): Good to see you back. I'm sorry I've taken so long (as I've said so many times, hehe), but I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you, I'm glad you like it.  
  
gw4e: Awwwwwwwwwwwwww, thank you. I know it's nowhere near perfect, but that's always nice to hear. Thank you!  
  
With that everyone, read on, enjoy, and review!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
From his place beneath the invisibility cloak, Harry couldn't help but smile at Ginny's exuberance. He had all but forgotten what it was like to wear the cloak for the first time, but it was now fresh in his mind: the wonder, the fear, the pure excitement. Ginny squeezed his hand as they neared the Great Hall. "Now for the fun part." she said sarcastically, not quite able to hide the tremor in her voice. Harry swallowed and squeezed her hand in reassurance. It was not as if this were his first time in any sort of trouble, but being out of doors at all hours with a girl was a whole different kind of trouble. A bitter smile touched his face as he thought of what the Dursleys would say about the letter written by the school after he was caught; that is, if they didn't tear it up first. "Always knew he'd come to no good," Vernon's radish-colored face would bellow, "just like his parents." Aunt Petunia could probably crane her long neck all the way from Privet Drive to get a look at all the trouble Harry would get into. "Imagine that little good for nothing brat being related to us when Dudders is such a good, handsome boy." A snicker escaped Harry at the thought of his cousin; the last time he'd seen him he'd been so large that he took up an entire side of the kitchen table. Ginny looked up from waving her hands in front of her face, thrilling at not seeing them, and asked, "What are you laughing at?" Harry broke free of the reverie in which he was envisioning elephant-sized Dudley in a tutu tap-dancing for scraps and looked down at Ginny. "Oh, nothing in particular." he answered, smiling and squeezing her hand. Each took in a deep breath in the same moment. Before them were the huge doors of the Great Hall. They gripped hands tightly, they could only hope that no one was roaming about as they were. They climbed the stone steps slowly, each trying to put off the inevitable. With a collective sigh, they stood before the doors and Harry whispered "Alohamora" as he pointed his wand at the door. It creaked open slightly and the two slipped in quickly, trying their best to keep the cloak over all of them.  
  
Harry thanked some unknown force for their both being so slim; a large door creaking all the way open would have been a bit more obvious than he would have liked. As it was, the squeal of the hinges now closing behind them was almost unbearable in his state of anxiety. Getting himself into trouble was bad enough, but Ginny, that was another thing. "Oh buck up Potter," said Ginny with a grin, "we're nearly home free." No sooner were the words out of her mouth when they heard a voice rising and echoing. "Blasted Peeves, opening doors; I swear I'll catch you this time you damned poltergeist." Snape. Harry couldn't believe their rotten luck; did Snape have the face AND ears of a bat? Harry looked around fretfully, the voice was nearly floor level; where were they to go? He suddenly felt a hand being clapped roughly over his mouth and asked in an extremely muffled voice "What the hell are you…", but he never finished. Standing before them in full glory was Severus Snape, complete with pink paisley pajamas and BUNNY SLIPPERS?! Harry let out a derisive snort beneath Ginny's hand, whose other was busy muffling the giggles trying to escape from her own mouth. He again thanked that unknown force for the wonderful sight now before him. The pink tassle of Snape's night- cap suddenly swung toward them. It was terrible timing; Ginny had just caught sight of Snape's bunny slippers. Snape's eyes narrowed at the tiny, yet damning sound of Ginny's muffled laugh. "Who's there?" he asked in an evil whisper. A sour grin spread across his sallow face. "If it's you Potter you're going to be sorry. You've traipsed about these grounds once too often. I'll catch you this time you little bastard." Harry heard a tiny sound of indignation erupt from Ginny, whose mouth was now being covered by both her hands. Snape's eyes suddenly snapped in a different direction all together. "Now what have we here?" he asked in that same quiet hiss, a look of gloating in his eyes. Ginny's sharp intake of breath caused Harry, who had been silently praying whatever had distracted Snape would make him leave, to move his eyes in the direction in which Snape had gone. His long, bony fingers now held a worn knapsack and ran along a battered guitar case with the name "Ginny Weasley" emblazoned across it in electric blue letters. "Well, this won't do at all," Snape whispered gleefully, "Potter out in the wee hours of the morning with a GIRL, if you can call her that." It was Harry's turn to growl indignantly, but Ginny had pressed her hands against his mouth ahead of time, anticipating his reaction. Snape's greedy eyes fell back in their direction, but just to the side of Harry's head, upon the doors. "Yes, they must be gone now, probably sneaking off into the forest to fool around." He sneered at the last two words. "Dumbledore will have something to say about this. He can't ignore this kind of evidence. With any luck, Potter AND Weasley will be gone by lunchtime." With that, he gathered Ginny's things quickly and rushed off in the direction of Dumbledore's office, his bunny slippers padding softly.  
  
As soon as Snape had left the room they swiftly and silently climbed the stairs and entered Gryffindor Tower, grateful for the Fat Lady's hangover, which kept her from fully recognizing them. "Bloody hell!" cried Ginny fretfully as soon as they entered the common room. She's inherited more than a love for Quidditch from Ron, Harry thought as she cursed. "What am I going to do?" she asked, on the verge of tears. She was pacing as much as she could in the tight confines of the invisibility cloak. Harry put an arm around her and pulled her to him. "Don't worry, Dumbledore would never believe that you'd sneak off in the middle of the night, especially from Snape who has a predisposition for hating Gryffindors. If you're called in, which I'm sure you will be," a soft moan of anxiety escaped Ginny, "you'll just make something up, say you left your things after the concert last night and forgot they were there." A wicked grin touched Harry's lips. "That is what happened after all, you'll just leave out the last bit about the two of us sneaking out." Ginny's anxious face looked up into his, a look of hope dawning upon it. "Do you really think that'll work Harry? I just don't know what I'd say to my parents or my brothers……God, I don't even want to think about that." she said, her nails in her mouth once more. Harry pulled her hand gently from her mouth and kissed it. "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it. Besides, who's going to find out? I'm not going to tell anyone, and I know you're not. Don't worry about it, everything will be all right. I won't let anything happen to you. If it comes down to it, I'll tell Dumbledore I bewitched you." A sly grin crossed Ginny's face. "But you did Harry Potter." she said, reaching her arms around his neck. Harry pulled off the cloak, no one was going to see them, no use this thing getting in the way, he thought quickly, his eyes on Ginny's mouth. He leaned in and they kissed once more, all of the passion and love that had been there before reflected ten-fold. When they finally parted, Harry was loath to say what he did next. "You'd better get up to your room, people are going to be waking up soon." Ginny sighed sadly and nodded. "I'll see you later though, right?" A flicker of something inexplicable, though Harry took it for doubt, passed through Ginny's brown eyes. "Sooner I hope." answered Harry with a somewhat sheepish grin. Though these feelings were real, it was easier to express them in the dark. Ginny smiled back at him. "Goodnight Harry. I love you." she said, the final three words sounding as if she could hardly believe she was saying them out loud. "I love you too Ginny." Harry replied, running a hand through her fiery hair. With a happy smile on her face and a quick kiss on Harry's cheek, Ginny snuck off, scampering up the girl's stairway, with a final turn and wave.  
  
Harry waved goodbye and ran a hand through his hair. It was hard to believe all this was real, yet the reality was sinking in as he realized how tired he was. As he bent to retrieve his cloak he noticed something strange. In a chair turned toward the fireplace there seemed to be something fluffy and red sitting upon the top. Harry thought it was Crookshanks until the red thing rose in the air and turned toward him. Ron. The look upon Ron's face was, to say the least, frightening. He was nothing short of livid. Before Harry could even react, Ron was coming toward him, speaking a deadly tone. "And to think I was actually worried about you, you no good, you slimy..", "Ron, it's not what you think." Harry interrupted quickly, his mind running over the things that had just been said. He groaned inwardly at all they had just revealed while Ron sat there, listening to it all. "Oh really?" Ron asked, his voice sharp and fierce, "What is it then? Oh I know," he said, sarcasm coating every single word as he edged toward Harry, his fists balled up. "this was all some skit the two of you thought up after gazing into Trelawney's crystal ball, knowing I'd be here. It's all coming clear to me now." he said, mock slapping his forehead. "Well, bravo, brilliant performance. I really believed you in the part of the bastard backstabber." he said with quiet fury, the grin on his face tight and ugly as his dark eyes pierced Harry's. "Ron, you need to let me explain." Ron exploded. "I DON'T HAVE TO LET YOU DO ANYTHING! What I NEED to do is punch you in your slimy face! How could you do that to Ginny? She's an innocent girl, at least she was until you came along." he cried vehemently.  
  
Harry stood, mouth agape, struggling to find words. He'd seen Ron angry many times, but all those times combined were nothing compared to this. "Don't talk about her that way. You don't understand Ron, she saw me kissing Cho and she ran out and I followed her to explain and", he didn't get a chance to finish. "Don't say anything else or I just might kill you Potter." Harry winced at being referred to in such a cold manner, what Malfoy called him. He stood taller. "Do it then. I'm talking aren't I? I'm not lying Weasley." he returned, emphasizing the word bitterly, beginning to feel anger, hot and furious, coursing through him. "Nothing like what you THINK happened between Ginny and me did happen. And I can't believe you'd think we'd do something like that, that SHE'D do something like that! Don't you think more of her than that?" Harry cried angrily, itching to pull his wand, but knowing he'd regret it. Ron looked at him, seeming to ponder what Harry had just said. A battle of conflicting emotions raged upon his face and he looked at Harry with narrowed eyes. "Yes, I do think more of her than that, but not of you, not anymore." With that, he stomped past Harry and out of the portrait hole, seemingly unaware in his state of fury of just how early it was and that he was still in the pajamas he never slept in. Harry sank into a chair by the fireplace, his face in hands. What was he going to do?  
  
  
  
A/N2: Dun dun DUN!! Did you guys like it? I'm sure you hate me right now; I know I always hate it when Ron and Harry fight in the books and it's worse with fan fiction, I suppose, because you never know what writers will do to the characters or how long they'll take to do it….*wicked cackle* But seriously, I will update soon, I promise. *crosses fingers behind back* No no, I will. So please REVIEW! They inspire me, seriously, and will help me write faster. Feedback is always a big help! Chapter 10 will be up soon!  
  
REVIEW!!! 


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